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New research from Stanford shows that Arctic thermokarst lakes, which form when sheets of permafrost melt, store more greenhouse gases than they emit.

Thermokarst lakes were previously thought to lead to an increase in atmospheric temperature because of the methane released when the thermofrost thaws.

However the new data shows that the formation of these lakes has a net cooling effect. The permafrost is rich in organic material, so plants and mosses are able to grow and flourish in the lakes, absorbing significant amounts of carbon.